Utilization of fruits wastes as livestock feed
S.Navaneetha Krishnan, Anchal Keshri, R.K. Jain, A.K. Patil, Naresh Kurechiya, Praveen Dodwa and Vaihsali Jain
Livestock play an integral role in the livelihood of poor farmers by providing economic, social and food security. Taking 2010 as the base year, the world would need 73 percent more meat and 58 percent more milk in 2050, while these values for developing countries will be 109 percent and 116 percent, respectively To meet this demand, huge quantity of feed resources will be required; challenging sustainability of the feed production systems. Already there is a considerable shortage of feed availability in most developing countries. In India a shortage of 25, 159 and 117 million tonnes of concentrates, green forages and crop residues, constituting respectively a shortage of 32, 20 and 25 percent of the requirement has been estimated .The area under fodder production cannot be increased due to increasing human population and urbanization and the industrial intensive model of livestock production has severe limitations due to increasing cost of fossil fuels, competition for food-feed-fuel and other biophysical limiting factors. The ongoing shift in the cropping pattern from cereals to more remunerative fruits in many Asian countries will lead to decreased supply of cereals and crop residues for animal feeding. A strong shift in this direction has already been observed in north India, for example. This change has resulted in generation of huge quantities of fruit and vegetable by products and wastes. Alternatives to such disposal methods could be recycling through livestock as feed resources and/ or further processing to extract or develop value-added products. Such an approach will convert “wastes to opportunities for development” in addition to contributing to sustainable intensification of livestock industry.
Conservation of fruits wastes:
- Drying
- Ensiling in bunker or pit silo
- Ensiling in tube silo
- Banana waste with broiler litter
Fruit wastes as livestock feed:
1] Apple (Malus domestica) :
Out of the total world production 30–40 percent of apples are damaged and therefore not marketed, and 20–40 percent are processed for juice extraction. The residue left after extraction of the juice, called apple pomace, could be used as a livestock feed.
Ruminants: The dried apple pomace contains 7.7 percent crude protein (CP) and 5.0 percent ether extract (EE) . It has 1.86 Mcal metabolizable energy (ME)/kg DM and 1.06−1.12 Mcal net energy (NE)/kg DM for lactating dairy cows (NRC, 2001). The ensiled apple pomace, incorporated up to 30 percent in the diet of lactating multiparous Holstein cows, did not show any adverse effects on milk yield or its composition. However, the best feed conversion ratio was observed at 15 percent incorporation in the diet
Non-ruminants: The dried apple pomace can be used as an energy source in broiler rations replacing maize by 10 percent (w/w), without adversely affecting the broiler production. Incorporation at >10 percent leads to production of wet litter and depresses feed efficiency, mainly due to higher fibre content
2] Banana (Musa acuminata):
Whole, fresh banana leaves, stalks and pseudo stems are chopped and directly fed either fresh, sun-dried or ensiledwith molasses in many tropical countries. Pseudo stems are easily ensiled if chopped and mixed with molasses or rice bran.
Banana leaves contain about 15 percent DM and 10−17 percent CP, while pseudo stems contain 5−8 percent DM and 3−5 percent CP. The NDF and ADF vary between 50−70 percent and 30−40 percent, respectively. Banana leaves contain 8 percent polyphenols, but very few condensed tannins
Ruminants : Fresh banana foliage up to 15 percent ,dried foliage ensiled with dried broiler litter in a 40:60 ratio and rehydrated with either molasses or whey (Box 4), included at 15 percent , foliage and wheat straw (75:25) ensiled with molasses and urea could replace 50 percent of green maize in the rations of lactating cows/buffaloes without altering milk production
Non-ruminants: Banana leaf meal could be used up to 15 percent in the diet of growing pigs, resulting in satisfactory average daily gain and feed conversion efficiency However, plantain leaf meal at a 20 percent level had a significant detrimental effect on ileal and faecal digestibility of most nutrients, including protein, but it may be used at low levels in pig diets .Rabbits can be fed up to 40 percent banana leaves without adverse effects on growth, feed intake and digestibility
3 ] Citrus pulp :
It contains 5−10 percent CP and 6.2 percent EE ,10−40 percent soluble fibre (pectins) and 54 percent water soluble sugars , 1−2 percent calcium due to the addition of lime and 0.1 percent phosphorus . Citrus pulp is a rich source of trace elements and their concentration is much below the maximum tolerance limit for ruminants
Ruminants: Dried citrus pulp is used as a cereal substitute in concentrate diets due to its high OM digestibility (85−90 percent) and energy availability (2.76−2.9 Mcal ME/kg DM and 1.66−1.76 Mcal NE/kg DM) for lactating dairy cows. The ME availability is 85−90 percent that of maize and comparable to barley (NRC, 2001). Unlike cereals, its energy is not based on starch but on soluble carbohydrates and digestible fibre. Citruspectins are easily and extensively degraded, producing acetic acid, which is less likely than lactic acid to cause a pH drop and result in acidosis. Dried citrus pulp can replace 20 percent concentrate in dairy cattle and up to 30 percent in lactating ewes without adversely affecting DM intake, rumen metabolites, digestibility, milk yield or milk protein and fat contents.
Non-ruminants: The presence of limonin in the seeds of citrus pulp may be a limiting factor. Dried citrus pulp may be included up to 5 percent in the diet of growing pigs. Higher rates (>10 percent) can adversely affect growth rates, feed conversion efficiency and carcass yield. The level of citrus pulp in the diets of poultry should not exceed 5−10 percent because of the presence of non-starch polysaccharides which impaired growth rates, lowered feed efficiency and reduced carcass yields.
4] Grapes (Vitis vinifera L) :
Winery waste and by-products as percent of grapes include grape stalks (2.5−7.5 percent), grape pomace (15 percent dry; wet up to 25−45 percent) and grape seeds (3−6 percent) and yeast lees (3.5−8.5 percent) [yeast lees are the residual yeast and other particles that precipitate at the bottom of a wine vat]. Grape pomace contains up to 15 percent sugars, 0.9 percent phenolics/pigments (red grape pomace), 0.05−0.08 percent tartarate and 30−40 percent fibre. Grape seeds contain 4−6 percent phenolics and 12−17 percent oil very rich in linoleic acid-omega-6 fatty acid (76 percent). The yeast lees contain 0.012 percent pigments, 0.1−0.15 percent tartrate and 6−12 percent β 1, 3-glucans.
The use of grape stalks in the form of single cell protein, as ruminant feed or a component in the feed has also been proposed after solid state fermentation using fungal strains . Results indicated that, after removal of lignin through the fungal treatment, the cellulose is better accessible to rumen micro-organisms. Since the fermented product has good protein value and low lignin content, it has DM digestibility similar to forages (54−60 percent). The grape pomace contains 9−12 percent CP and 5−7 percent EE and has very low ME (1.06 Mcal/kg DM) and NE (0.69 Mcal/kg DM) for lactating dairy cows (NRC, 1989)
5 ] Mango (Mangifera indica L.):
The edible pulp makes up 33–85 percent of the fresh fruit, while the peel and the kernel amount to 7–24 percent and 9–40 percent, respectively, on a fresh weight basis. The by-products/wastes available after processing of mango includes cull fruits (fresh fruits unsuitable for human consumption), mango kernel meal (containing 6−16 percent mango oil on DM basis), deoiled mango kernel meal and mango peels.
Antinutritional factors: Mango seed kernels are rich in tannins, which progressively lead to depression in growth rates and efficiency of feed utilization, when included as a major component in diets of pigs and poultry. They also contain 64 mg/kg DM cyanogenic glucosides, 42 mg/kg DM oxalates and 20 TIU (trypsin inhibiting unit)/g DM trypsin inhibitors.
Mango seed kernels–
Ruminants: Mango seed kernels can be incorporated in the concentrate mixture up to 50 percent without any adverse effects . In sheep, DM digestibility of dried seed kernels was 70 percent but intake was low (1.2 percent of body weight), mainly due to the tannin content.
Non-ruminants: Raw mango seed kernel meal included at 5−10 percent in the diet depressed feed intake and growth in broiler chicks . The recommendation for optimum growth is to use boiled mango seed kernels<5 percent in broiler chicks during the starter phase (0−28 days) and 10−20 percent in the diets of broilers during the finisher phase (28−63 days) on DM basis . The incorporation of 5 percent raw mango seed kernel meal in layers decreased laying rate and increased weight loss in layers.
Mango peels–
Ruminants: Mango peels can be fed fresh, dried or ensiled. Due to the high sugar content (13.2 percent) they are palatable and considered as an energy feed, but the high moisture and acidity of fresh peels may limit their use in ruminants. Because of their low protein content, addition of a source of nitrogen or protein is necessary to allow efficient utilization of the energy in the diet. In order to produce good silage, mango peels were mixed with rice straw and legume to facilitate fermentation . Ensiled mango peels and rice straw had 60 percent DM digestibility, which increased when Leucaena leaves were included in the diet .
Non-ruminants: Dried mango peels up to 10 percent in the diet of finishing pigs had no deleterious effect on feed conversion ratio or performance and economized feeding cost .
6] Pineapple (Ananas comosus) :
Composition: Raw pineapple waste (on DM basis) contains 4−8 percent CP, 60−72 percent NDF, 40−75 percent soluble sugars (70 percent sucrose, 20 percent glucose and 10 percent fructose) as well as pectin, but it is poor in minerals. Therefore, it should be supplemented with protein and minerals in order to prevent detrimental effects on productivity and health.
Ruminants: Pineapple wastes can replace the roughage portion in the diet partly or completely and partly the cereals in the diet of meat animals . Pineapple wastes are highly palatable and digestible (73−75 percent OM digestibility) in cattle, sheep and goats. Fermented pineapple waste is less acidic than fresh waste and animals prefer the former . Ensiled pineapple waste fed to steers up to 70 percent of the diet with a protein supplement and 2.5 kg fresh forage resulted in high daily weight gains (1 kg/day) and also decreased the cost of feed. It could also replace up to 60 percent of maize silage without affecting daily weight gains . Silage made of 80 percent pineapple wastes and 10 percent poultry litter with molasses and additives reduced the feed cost. Pineapple waste mixed with rice straw could replace up to 50 percent of roughage in the total mixed ration of dairy cattle without affecting milk production .
Non ruminants: Pigs did not relish dried pineapple bran offered ad libitum in the ration. The high crude fibre (CF) content (20 percent) limits its use in pigs of<27 kg BW. However, incorporation up to 50 percent in the ration of older pigs (57 kg BW) improved the body weight gain and feed conversion efficiency. Beyond 50 percent in the ration these parameters were depressed . Inclusion of 15 percent pineapple bran in chick diets depressed the feed conversion ratio and 20 percent inclusion decreased weight .
Conclusion:
It is concluded that most of the tested fruit wastes, especially banana foliage and peels, mango peels and seed kernels, citrus pulp and pineapple waste either fresh, dried or ensiled could serve as excellent alternate feed resources for livestock and poultry.
